The Buccaneers’ dominant Super Bowl victory on Sunday closed the 2020 NFL season and opened the door to what promises to be an unusual and unusual low season, which of course includes the 2021 NFL draft. Bay showed what smart selection can do for a team, with recent first-round picks Devin White and Antoine Winfield Jr. Which team will make smart moves in this year’s draft to take the next step? Let’s predict how the 32 teams from the first round will be played on April 29th.
Despite the lack of a traditional mixer this year, there is still plenty of time for movement on the draft boards. There are interviews, doctors, professional training of the day and more things that go deeper into the game tape. Similarly, a lot of things have changed in just one month since my last drill after an exciting national college football playoff title game and the annual Senior Bowl week. We’ve been out for over two months now and we have a lot to learn about this talented class, including how quarterbacks and players pile up.
But with the draft order blocked after game no. 269 of the season and a lot of talent in class this year to excite me, here’s my post-Super Bowl projection of the top 32 picks in the 2021 NFL draft, starting with a no- brainer at number 1. And surprise: we have two fake trades in this edition.
See more: rankings
Go to a shop: no. 3 | Num. 12
Note: For more information, check out our SportsCenter Special at 5 pm ET on Wednesday (ESPN2), where I’ll talk about each team’s options.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Another mock draft, another Lawrence screening in Jacksonville. You won’t see much else, and for good reason. The 6-foot-6 armed quarterback has all the traits you want in a franchised man and would be the centerpiece of what new coach Urban Meyer hopes to build. Only Washington has a lower overall QBR in the last three seasons than the Jaguars ’41.6, but Lawrence has finished in the top ten among all FBS quarterbacks in that category in all seasons of his college career. Friday will throw for scouts before shoulder surgery he doesn’t throw this spring, but we consider him a lock for the best selection right now.